Okay, I admit it. I broke down and went to see it this afternoon. I knew it would be mobbed this evening and all weekend, and I just didn’t want to wait.

I don’t want to spoil anything, so I’ll just say that the changes (that I could detect, anyway) are few and fairly tolerable, the storyline is excellent, the special effects are even better than the first two, and the movie itself is awesome. The appearance of a few other canonical Spider-Man characters were a welcome surprise, and the completely unexpected cameo by a character of a different sort had me laughing aloud, probably inappropriately for the scene.

I was disappointed in three ways, all pertaining to the character of Venom (who is never actually named in the movie). First, Eddie Brock is always portrayed as physically much larger and stronger than Spider-Man; the actor in the movie was almost exactly his size. Second, he didn’t once mention eating Spider-Man’s spleen. The third I won’t say yet, as it’s a spoiler, but it happens near the end — anyone who knows the Spider-Man comic book stories will recognize it instantly, and probably agree with me.

I’ve heard that a fourth movie has been planned for some time. I’m eagerly awaiting it.